extend it beyond to the 80th meridian, where Britain ends 
her claim would be viewed by Chile as sheer trespass and 
would undoubtedly bring forth vigorous protest. 
Probably all of the present claimant nations in Antarc- 
tica tacitly accept the United States’ right to the area be- 
tween longitudes 90° W. and 150° W., that is, Marie Byrd 
Land and Ellsworth Land. That is, however, the most in- 
accessible part of Antarctica. Repeated attempts made by 
our ships to penetrate the dense pack ice that hugs the 
coast of Marie Byrd Land have resulted in only one ship 
being partially successful and that apparently was due to 
the fact that it was a freakishly warm summer. 
Currently our only access to Marie Byrd Land is by land 
over the Ross Dependency, an area claimed by New Zea- 
land. Furthermore, the only known land area on rock 
which could be used as a base for an air strip is also in the 
Ross Dependency, near our McMurdo Sound naval instal- 
lation. We know from recent surveys that this area near 
Marble Point could be used for the establishment of a 
permanent year-round landing strip. 
A joint claim by the United States and New Zealand 
would have merit and might be advantageous to both. 
Antarctic exploration is costly, and New Zealand, with a 
population about equal to my own state of Minnesota, does 
not have the resources to build and maintain far-flung 
Antarctic bases. I should guess that New Zealand is cur- 
rently making a greater per capita investment in Antarctica 
than is any other nation. A further suggestion is that 
Australia, New Zealand, and the United States join in a 
common claim that would include almost two-thirds of 
the continent. 
I have but recently received a letter from Sir Douglas 
31 
